5 tourist hotspots that AREN'T overrated

11 May 2017

There are some huge names in world travel that don’t quite deliver on their hyped-up reputation. Here are 5 tourist hotspots that don't disappoint

By Richard Roberts

Ever geared yourself up for a trip that didn't quite live up to its promise? As travel gets easier and easier, some big attractions have become over-commercialised and over-visited. But there are some sights and places that really do live up to the hype, no matter how famous they get. These are tourist behemoths that truly deserve their fame and merit the crowds they draw every year, without being spoilt by them.

1. The Taj Mahal

The first thing that strikes you is the huge scale. Then the symmetry, the complexity and sheer beauty. Then you get up close and the minute detail of the marblework blows you away all over again. The Taj draws huge crowds, but you can see why – there's just nothing like it anywhere else in the world. Rumour has it the Archaeological Society of India (ASI) may have plans to further limit the crowds in the future.

2. Victoria Falls

Despite being a huge name in world travel, Africa's greatest waterfall draws a fraction of the visitors that Niagara does in a year. Yet at more than double the height of its North American rival, Victoria Falls is one of the most spectacular natural sights in the world. It doesn't matter which side you visit from (our tours approach the Zambia side), whether you come on foot or fly over the falls, you can't fail to be awe-struck.

3. The Grand Canyon

Not just an extraordinary sight, but an icon of the West, the Grand Canyon is another multi-faceted natural attraction; experience it from the air, the rim, or down in the canyon, it's remarkable any way you look at it. The Grand Canyon draws crowds 365 days a year, but a few little people don't detract from the mind-boggling scale of this natural phenomenon.

4. Angkor Wat

Like the Taj Mahal, it's both the scale and the detail of Cambodia's Angkor Wat that make it the top historic attraction in Southeast Asia and a bucket-list essential. Built almost 1,000 years ago, Angkor Wat was designed to represent the home of ancient Hindu gods. And its ambition is of godlike proportions. Many visitors have to come back a second time, so impressive is this ancient temple complex.

5. Uluru

Words don't do justice to a big rock in the middle of the desert. It's not so much the oddness, the size or the incredible changes in colour through the day. It's more the otherworldly sense that Uluru (aka Ayers Rock) is more ancient than you can comprehend – it's been here hundreds of millions of years – and it's palpable both up close and as you watch the sunset transform the massive rock. It's an experience like nowhere else in the world.

Published by Mail Travel, a division of Associated Newspapers Limited, a company registered in England under company number 84121 with a registered office at Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT

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